


Ancient Magicks

by AceTrainerAlicia



Category: Runescape
Genre: Gen, Headcanon, Lorebook, magic lore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-24
Updated: 2017-10-24
Packaged: 2019-01-22 16:10:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12485576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AceTrainerAlicia/pseuds/AceTrainerAlicia
Summary: A book found in the royal library of Varrock, on the (controversial) subject of obscure ancient magic spells and how they work.





	Ancient Magicks

The Four Elemental Branches and Spells of Forgotten Ancient Magicks  
A Compilation by Jaina Katarn of Lumbridge  
  
  


In my time as an adventurer I’ve been pleasantly surprised to come across new and different spells and forms of magic that aren’t commonly taught by the major magical institutes--most particularly the Lunar spellbook, which is mainly focused around healing, supportive magic, and spells for mundane day-to-day tasks. Recently I also learned of another set of spells, not exactly new so much as it is an ancient spellbook once lost to the ages. A hero of ancient times gifted me with the knowledge as thanks for rescuing him, and I’ve written down what I’ve learned of this magic and how it works after testing it out extensively as well as I can. As the spells are very old and have been long forgotten, I first learned them with rune requirements that are very costly and inefficient; I have therefore worked together with some fellow adventurers--particularly my fellow mage Ariane of Seer’s Village and my father’s former teacher Xenia Harwood of Catherby, who both helped the most--to find more efficient rune combinations to cast these spells, similarly to the methods used to refine the modern standard spells. I have included both the original rune combinations and the newer, more efficient ones we’ve devised in this compilation.

These Ancient Magicks--I’ve used an archaic form of the word “magic” intentionally--are, like the modern standard spellbook for battlemages, based around four elements and primarily meant for combat. Also like the modern standard spellbook, the spells are sorted into tiers from weakest to strongest--and this is where the most striking difference also comes into play, as some forms of these spells are actually designed to cover large areas and strike multiple targets at once. The four tiers of Ancient Magicks are as follows:

**Rush:** The basic, weakest elemental spell, roughly equivalent in power to a standard Blast spell. Easy to aim and control.

All Rush spells use two Death and two Chaos runes in the old rune requirements, and three elemental and one Death rune in the new ones.

**Burst:** Capable of hitting multiple targets in about a three-foot radius of effect; roughly equivalent in power to a standard Wave spell, but covers more ground. Fairly difficult to aim or control.

All Burst spells use two Death and four Chaos runes in the old rune requirements, and four elemental and two Death runes in the new ones.

**Blitz** : A strong, potent elemental spell, roughly equivalent in power to a standard Surge spell. Requires much concentration to aim, but is easily controlled with the proper focus.

All Blitz spells use two Blood and two Death runes in the old rune requirements, and five elemental and one Blood rune in the new ones.

**Barrage** : An exceptionally powerful spell with a very large radius of effect, similar in power to a Blitz or a standard Surge spell. Very difficult to aim or control at all, even with a good deal of practice.

All Barrage spells use two Blood and four Death runes in the old rune requirements, and five elemental and two Blood runes in the new ones.

The four elements comprising the Ancient Magicks are Smoke, Shadow, Blood, and Ice. There are some similarities between these and the standard four elements, although they do not neatly parallel one another perfectly, and multiple parallels can be drawn--for example, smoke spells, naturally, have qualities of both air and fire, though they seem more similar to air. All four have similar enough properties to each of the standard elements that certain elemental runes work effectively for casting the spells.

Smoke spells are seemingly the easiest to handle, usually taking the form of clouds--Smoke Rush and Smoke Blitz consist of a smoky cloud aimed straight at a target, while Smoke Burst and Smoke Barrage form clouds spread over a large radius. The smoke can temporarily blind targets and potentially cause them to cough or choke if it is thick enough--by extension, it is possible that a smoke spell can be used to outright asphyxiate a target. If focused properly the spells can also be used to create a smokescreen to provide cover for the caster. These spells would also be effective against any enemy with a strong sense of smell, as they would interfere greatly with the olfactory senses.

**Smoke Rush** : 3 Air, 1 Death (1 Air, 1 Fire, 2 Chaos, 2 Death)

**Smoke Burst** : 4 Air, 2 Death (2 Air, 2 Fire, 4 Chaos, 2 Death)

**Smoke Blitz** : 5 Air, 1 Blood (3 Air, 3 Fire, 2 Death, 2 Blood)

**Smoke Barrage** : 5 Air, 2 Blood (4 Air, 4 Fire, 4 Death, 2 Blood)

Shadow spells are something of an enigma, as I have been unable to figure out much of what they can do. When cast, Shadow Rush and Shadow Blitz take the form of bolts of swirling darkness aimed at a target, while Shadow Burst and Shadow Barrage take the form of large circles of darkness that appear around target(s) and seem to engulf anything within. It might be theoretically possible to surround oneself in a cloak of shadow, though I haven’t been able to do so.

**Shadow Rush** : 3 Earth, 1 Death (1 Air, 2 Chaos, 2 Death, 1 Soul)

**Shadow Burst** : 4 Earth, 2 Death (1 Air, 4 Chaos, 2 Death, 2 Soul)

**Shadow Blitz** : 5 Earth, 1 Blood (2 Air, 2 Death, 2 Blood, 2 Soul)

**Shadow Barrage** : 5 Earth, 2 Blood (4 Air, 4 Death, 2 Blood, 3 Soul)

Blood spells are possibly the most powerful and deadly of the Ancient Magicks, being oriented towards healing the caster and harming the target(s) at the same time. Unlike the outward force of smoke and shadow spells, which are sent from the caster towards the target(s), blood spells manifest with a “pull”--red pulsing masses form around the target(s) and are then drawn in upward-arcing streams towards the caster; singular orbs for Blood Rush and Blood Blitz and several orbs at once for Blood Burst and Blood Barrage. The spells do not literally siphon the target’s blood, as a vampyre might, but rather their energy and vitality--although they do frequently cause bleeding and serious wounds. The healing effect provides a burst of energy and vitality to the caster while simultaneously speeding up the rate at which flesh knits and wounds heal, although this seems to wear off after a mere few seconds and is therefore not a reliable way to mend deep wounds. These spells are best used in a pinch, to heal as needed from serious non-life-threatening wounds.

**Blood Rush** : 3 Fire, 1 Death (1 Blood, 2 Chaos, 2 Death)

**Blood Burst** : 4 Fire, 2 Death (2 Blood, 4 Chaos, 2 Death)

**Blood Blitz** : 5 Fire, 1 Blood (4 Blood, 2 Death)

**Blood Barrage** : 5 Fire, 2 Blood (4 Blood, 4 Death, 1 Soul)

Ice spells have the most familiar feel to them out of all the Ancient Magicks, being obviously fairly similar to standard water spells--and just as versatile as water spells--but at the same time are as deceptively difficult to wield as they are adaptable. Unlike with the other three ancient elements, you have to focus the spell in such a way that the ice takes the shape you want, otherwise you end up with an erratic burst of tiny ice shards that don’t do much besides glitter when they catch the light. The easiest method to cast ice spells is to shape the spell into a solid mass and launch it point blank at a target, although this only works with Ice Rush and Ice Blitz in my experience. The ice can also be formed into sharp projectiles or hailstone-like chunks to form a deadly storm, or aimed at the ground to form sheets of ice which can trip a target (both methods of which are all I’ve been able to do with the multi-target spells so far). The most useful tactic, as well as perhaps the most difficult to pull off, involves encasing target(s) in ice, freezing them to the spot; with this method the spell is cast directly around the target(s) rather than outward towards them. This requires a good deal of concentration to do, and depending on your environment you have to make sure the ice is thick enough to keep your target(s) frozen and immobile.

**Ice Rush** : 3 Water, 1 Death (2 Water, 2 Chaos, 2 Death)

**Ice Burst** : 4 Water, 2 Death (4 Water, 4 Chaos, 2 Death)

**Ice Blitz** : 5 Water, 1 Blood (3 Water, 2 Death, 2 Blood)

**Ice Barrage** : 5 Water, 2 Blood (6 Water, 4 Death, 2 Blood)

The spellbook also includes several ancient teleport spells, which are anchored to the sites of long-lost settlements that predate the God Wars. I am not entirely sure how they work, as they do not use the Abyss as an anchor plane the way modern teleport spells do. While these teleports are not practical for most purposes as many go into the Wilderness, they are of interest for historical and archaeological purposes--knowing the locations of these ancient cities will allow them to be more easily investigated, so that we might learn more about what these places were once like and how the people there lived. Doing so, however, would require careful measures to prepare for the dangers in these areas, such as hiring mercenary bodyguards, traveling with a companion, or having emergency teleports on hand. At the very least, anyone teleporting to most of these places should carry a weapon and be prepared to fight, and be aware of the specific dangers each place poses. The mysterious teleport obelisks in the Wilderness also seem to have a connection to these teleport spells; I believe they use the same anchor plane. I have a theory that the obelisks were built to make transport between the ancient cities easier for those who could not afford runes at a time when runecrafting had not yet been discovered.

**Paddewwa Teleport** : 1 Fire, 1 Air, 2 Law

Teleports to the ruins south of modern-day Edgeville. I recall these being rumored to once be a part of a fortress; this ancient city therefore was likely a military garrison of some kind.

**Senntisten Teleport** : 1 Soul, 2 Law

Teleports to the modern-day Digsite ruins. I am familiar with this ancient city’s ruins thanks to my assistance at the Varrock Museum with the archaeological dig there. Senntisten appears to predate the Fourth Age city of Saranthium that we now know was built on top of the ruins, and given the relics the museum has unearthed, it may have been a capital city or at least a central trade hub.

**Kharyll Teleport** : 1 Blood, 2 Law

Teleports to the modern village of Canifis. Not recommended to use unless you’re willing to brave the unpleasant environment of Morytania, werewolves, and possibly vampyres who would be keen to grab the first human they saw. I find this particular teleport odd, given that Morytania was once the Saradominist kingdom of Hallowvale before the vampyres invaded it--but these spells are not exactly what comes to mind when you think of Saradomin-related things.

**Lassar Teleport** : 4 Water, 2 Law

Teleports to the top of Ice Mountain. I wonder what a city built atop a snowy mountain would have looked like? What kind of food did they raise and grow, or did they have to import it? Were the icefiends that now roam the mountainside always there? The view must have been beautiful, especially on an early winter morning.

**Dareeyak Teleport** : 2 Air, 3 Fire, 2 Law

Teleports to ruins on the western edge of the Wilderness, close to the border with the mountain known as Trollheim. The mountain trolls do not typically venture close to the area from what I have seen. I can’t tell if the ruins currently there are part of the ancient city or if they belong to a farming town from a later era.

**Carallangar Teleport** : 2 Soul, 2 Law

Teleports to a graveyard just east of the volcano in the center of the Wilderness. There are ruins to the north of the graveyard which likely were a part of the ancient city. The graveyard itself tends to be filled with undead, mainly skeletons and zombies; I suspect necromancers come here to practice their arts. It seems strange that there would have been a city built so close to a volcano, even though the giant sword in the center wouldn’t have been there at the time. I’ve been to the city of the TzHaar deep within the Karamja volcano, but I don’t think they either lived in or built the ancient city that once stood here.

**Annakarl Teleport** : 2 Blood, 2 Law

Teleports to a ruined fortress deep in the western Wilderness. This area is known for being the site of a famous great battle between the armies of Saradomin and Zamorak during the God Wars, and the ruins have since been overrun by demons. They would need to be chased out if the site were to be explored.

**Ghorrock Teleport** : 8 Water, 2 Law

Teleports to a fortress in the frozen northwest of the Wilderness. Oddly enough, the fortress still stands completely intact, but the teleport spell itself takes you a ways east of it, and the path into the fortress is blocked by a solid wall of ice. I suspect there’s some magical seal or spell that’s keeping the path frozen shut, but I haven’t been able to dispel the barrier. Perhaps the fortress was also only one part of the ancient city and the whole thing used to spread further out onto the plateau--but if there are any ruins east of it, they would likely be buried in ice and snow.

_Afterword: There has been a fair amount of backlash in response to the publication of these spells, particularly from the wizards of the Wizards’ Tower, who worry about the potentially dangerous misuse of forgotten combative ancient magic--in addition to the battle-oriented nature of the spellbook and its great destructive potential, they have been concerned that it is so dissimilar to what they know of the workings of spells. Young Miss Katarn believes that further research and practice of the spellbook will help ensure that it is not misused and that it will help grow the general knowledge of magic, a position on which I am inclined to agree. Further research into these ancient cities is also a good idea; there may--hopefully--be ancient books and texts to be found there._

_\--Reldo_


End file.
